In the middle of the night, strangers ripped Zara from her bed and told her she was going to a troubled teen wilderness therapy program. Little did she know, the troubled teen industry would prevent her from going home for over three years.
The Troubled Teen Industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that holds kids prisoner and may do more harm than go ... Show More
Jun 19
125. Zombie Illnesses: Rabies, Parasites and Prions
What kind of illness turns deer into stumbling, soulless shells of themselves—bodies wasting away, but never truly dying? Or drives healthy young men into violent frenzies that leave them strapped to hospital beds, terrified of water? This week, we’re diving into the terrifying w ... Show More
41m 37s
Aug 2022
The Cult of The Troubled Teen Industry
We’re in for a shocking one this week: The Troubled Teen Industry has for decades promised parents to reform their “problem-causing” kids through 8-12 week “wilderness therapy” and other military-style schools. But kidnappings, isolation, punishment, secrecy, and abuse are all a ... Show More
59m 31s
Jul 2022
Austrian House of Horrors
Today’s podcast features two separate, unique stories that share a theme: stories that are so messed up they sound fake, but, they are actually true. The audio from these stories has been pulled from my YouTube channel, which is just called MrBallen, and has been remastered for t ... Show More
44m 17s
Nov 2023
A Pivotal Moment: Episode 366
Disaster struck the family home when one of the daughters of the Stringer family, Karen, was just 10 years old. It was only due to Karen’s quick thinking and reactions that the family all were able to leave the house safely. Karen's heroic actions of that day made the papers, wit ... Show More
24m 24s
Sep 2023
School’s Out…Forever: The Murder of Colleen Ritzer
In this month’s series, I detail crimes that happened on school campuses. In this episode, A 14-year-old high school student commits a horrific act of rape and murder in a school bathroom. Was Philip Chism mentally ill, as his defense would later claim, or was he faking it to g ... Show More
32m 7s